New Satellite Images Reveal Russia’s Nuclear Submarine Base Was Damaged By Tsunami

New satellite images reveal Russia’s nuclear submarine base located on the Kamchatka peninsula was damaged during last week’s hurricane and tsunami that hit the region.

However, according to images released of the base by satellite imaging company Planet Labs, the damage doesn’t appear to be substantial.

The report comes around the same time Russia has announced it has left the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces treaty.

The New York Times had more details to add on the current status of the nuclear base:

A nuclear submarine base in the remote Far East of Russia sustained minor damage last week after the region was rocked by one of the strongest earthquakes in decades, satellite imagery suggests.

A floating pier at the Rybachiy submarine base, one of the key sites for Russia’s Pacific Fleet on the Kamchatka peninsula, appeared to have been badly damaged, according to satellite images taken on Sunday by Planet Labs, a commercial satellite company. One section of the pier appeared to be detached from its mooring.

No other major damage is visible, and several vessels, including five submarines, were seen moored at piers nearby. There has been no official announcement about damage at the base, and the Russian media has said nothing on the subject. International bodies monitoring nuclear sites have not reported heightened radiation levels in the area.

Some of Rybachiy’s floating piers are brand-new: At least two new piers have been commissioned and installed at the base since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine began in 2022, according to the military.

The base, built during Soviet times, was set up in a cove in order to protect the vessels from the high waves and storms of the open sea just a few miles away.
Although several piers at Rybachiy appear to be intact, one showed signs of damage from tsunami waves caused by the earthquake.

Take a look at the images here:

🚨BREAKING – Russian nuclear submarine base in Kamchatka damaged during tsunami – Satellite Images confirm

🇷🇺🇷🇺☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️☢️ pic.twitter.com/kNLKv9syVl

— WW3 Monitor (@WW3_Monitor) August 1, 2025

❗️🌊🇷🇺 – The magnitude 8.0 earthquake that struck Russia's Pacific coast, 128 kilometers east of the Rybachiy submarine base in Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, caused strong tremors and damage in the region.

A tsunami has reached the area, flooding most nuclear submarine piers and… pic.twitter.com/05GLztEVGQ

— 🔥🗞The Informant (@theinformant_x) July 30, 2025

Explosions and massive fire reported Russia's Severomorsk Naval Base, home port for nuclear-armed submarines.

– main base of the Russian Northern Fleet, on the Kola Bay near the Barents Sea.

– houses two-thirds of Russia’s nuclear submarines. pic.twitter.com/6rNLWFZnyr

— Irves (@Irves_Watch) June 1, 2025

Newsweek reported more on the damage of the nuclear base:

A tsunami that hit Russia’s Pacific coast on Wednesday damaged the country’s Rybachiy nuclear submarine base on the Kamchatka Peninsula, satellite imagery suggests.
The images were taken by the U.S. space technology company Umbra Space and posted by engineer Logan Garbarini who compared them to Google/Maxar images from earlier this year to show what the base looked like before and after the tsunami hit.

The Rybachiy base is the primary housing facility for Russia’s Pacific Fleet nuclear submarines and serves as one of the closest Russian military outposts to the United States. The base’s role in Russian naval strategy makes any threat to its operational capabilities significant, not only for Russia but also for U.S.-Russia security dynamics.

The tsunami followed a 8.8 magnitude offshore earthquake centered roughly 75 miles from the base, impacting the country’s Pacific coastline in the early hours of Wednesday.

Here’s a video of the moment the tsunami hit:

A Russian man walking his dog captured an amazing moment as tsunami waves hit Russia’s Kamchatka Peninsula.

He is very high up, but watch how high the waves actually reach.

🔊pic.twitter.com/tskVbaFd60

— Wall Street Mav (@WallStreetMav) August 3, 2025